Love Burns
by terriso167
Summary: After a heartbreaking moment that Natsu endures, he soon begins to see just how lonely he truly is. At the same time, a demonic force attempts to take control of the dragonslayer. He soon finds himself in the clutches of a demon who is madly in love with him. What Natsu doesn't realize is that he's about to find himself in a whirlpool of lust, betrayal, and true loneliness.
1. Chapter 1 Inner Demon

**Ok, I decided to OFFICIALLY take a small break from Burning Demon Heart. It won't be that long though, so do not worry. I had no idea everyone enjoyed it so much, so thank you all very much. Somehow I feel that this one won't be as great as my most popular one, but it's just speculation. Ok, on with the story.**

Natsu had never felt so excited in his life. He was finally gonna tell Lucy how he felt. Today was the day. He was so excited that he found himself doing things he wouldn't normally do, like tidying up his house. In about an hour, it was as clean as Lucy's house.

"Natsu," Happy said," Now we should get the flowers."

"Yeah! What kind should we get though?" Natsu answered. "I don't wanna disappoint her."

"Let's just go and see what's available," Happy suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," Natsu nodded. He took a handful of jewel and stuff it inside his pocket.

A few minutes later, they were inside a store in the markets of Magnolia. Natsu and Happy browsed the selection of roses, lilies, and various others. The girl behind the counter simply smiled and said, "Those for somebody special?"

"Oh yeah," Natsu nodded, "VERY special! The most special girl in the entire WORLD! I just don't know what to get her..."

The female smiled harder, a familiar warm and fuzzy feeling coming over her. "I remember when the man I loved came to me with flowers and proposed to me. I felt so happy and special."

"Yeah, but I don't know what to pick, or if I even have enough money..." Natsu sighed.

Suddenly, an idea popped into the women's head. _I'll do him one better._ She took a variation of roses, lilies, magnolias, and other sorts of flowers. In 30 seconds, she presented her bouquet to Natsu.

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Natsu stared in awe. "H-How much? What's the price?"

"Only that you make this lucky girl feel special for the rest of your life, ok?" She smiled. Without further ado, she handed them to Natsu. "Good luck."

"T-thank you so much, miss!" He exclaimed happily. He grinned and ran out of the shop and back home with his blue-furred companion.

On his way home, he turned a corner and almost ran straight into Erza.

"Hey Erza!" Natsu said happily, a wide grin on his face.

"Ok," Erza sighed, "What's the reason for the ridiculously happy smile?"

She then noticed the bouquet of flowers in Natsu's grasp. She then grinned warmly.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Erza asked.

"I'm gonna tell Lucy how I feel, and give her these too," Natsu said. "I'm gonna ask her to be my girlfriend!"

Erza had never seen Natsu this giddy before. She could tell that he was really excited.

"I gotta get home," Natsu exclaimed, before taking off into the distance. "SEE YA LATER!"

"Best of luck to you!" She called after him.

As soon as Natsu was home, he jumped into the shower for the third time today. He washed his clothes in the river, while Happy fished. "Should I get a suit and a tie too, Happy?"

"Naw,"Happy responded, "That's a little too much. It's not like you're marrying her."

"Hopefully in the future I will," Natsu grinned.

After that, he was looking and smelling his finest. He was ready. He took a small piece of paper and wrote a note on it. He wrote as slowly and carefully as he could, so Lucy wouldn't be unimpressed by it. He put it inside the bouquet. "Ready Happy?" Natsu asked.

"Sorry Natsu," Happy said, "But I kinda promised Carla on a date tonight."

"Wow," Natsu chuckled, "Looks like your ahead of me, little buddy. No problemo!"

"Good luck, Natsu," Happy said, jumping up and hugging Natsu's neck.

"Thanks, partner," Natsu said softly.

The clouds in the sky were gathering, so Natsu hurried over to Lucy's place. He tried to stay as calm as he could, but he could barely contain his excitement. He decided to take easiest route, which was the window. At the bottom of the apartment, Natsu rehearsed his words. He had never been so nervous in his life, not even when awaiting Erza's punishment.

He took a deep breath, and jumped. In a single bound he was outside Lucy's window. But no Lucy. "Maybe's she's in the shower," he mumbled to himself. "I'll wait for her then."

He silently entered the room and sat on the couch. However, he heard no running water. Instead, he heard strange sounds coming from her bedroom. He slowly stood up and walked towards the direction. The door was cracked open, and he looked inside. His eyes widened.

Lucy was on her bed, naked. She was in the arms of Sting. She moaned as Sting sucked and licked her breasts, his hands exploring her body. One of her arms was wrapped around his neck, and the other tugged lightly at his hair. Natsu had never felt so pissed in his entire life. But other emotions flooded through his mind; Sadness, Betrayal, Shock. Their naked bodies were entwined together. Natsu couldn't watch anymore. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Lucy looked up and stared straight at him. Her eyes said, _Go away, I'm busy._

He stood straight up, and slowly made his way to the window. He didn't know that the note inside the wrapping had slipped out and fell onto the ground, right next to the couch. Once outside, he shut the window and fell to the ground, landing with a hard thud. The sky had clouded up, and thunder sounded. It was going to rain soon.

He ran back to the flower shop as fast as he could. As soon as he reached it, it began to rain. He had stepped inside just before the first drops fell. The shop was empty, except for the purple-haired woman, who recognized him.

"You again! How'd it go?" She asked cheerfully. His hair shadowed his eyes, but she could see a tear streaming down his face. "What's wrong?"

He placed the flowers onto the counter, still in perfect condition.

"I guess I simply wasn't good enough..." he said quietly. "So I can't have these."

"Oh no..." The young woman said. "Your heart's been broken, hasn't it?"

Natsu turned and walked out. The rain had intensified, and in seconds, Natsu was soaked. He didn't care. He went to a grassy hill on the edge of town that overlooked a grassy land. Natsu sat down, and let out a fierce scream towards the heavens. It was a scream of frustration and sadness. It was the worst pain he'd ever felt. Then tears spilled from his eyes, as he sobbed silently.

Erza heard a scream in the distance. It sounded like Natsu. Immediately she rushed over in the direction. _Is Natsu in some kind of trouble? That scream was filled with pain._ She wasn't sensing in magic power, so maybe he simply fell in a ditch or something. But it was something about that scream that she was concerned. She could've sworn it was sounded sorrowful. Making it to the edge of town, she headed for the hills. Her very accurate hearing could sense that Natsu was somewhere in that area. She was right.

She stood at the bottom of the hill, looking up. Natsu sat on the top, his knees pulled up to his chest, and his head buried in his arms. She slowly inched up the hill, and the closer she came, clearer came the sounds of crying. She kept walking until she stood right behind him.

"Natsu?" Erza said.

The sound of crying stopped, and he became perfectly still.

"Natsu, what are you doing up here?" She asked. "You could catch a cold or something." She waited for Natsu to turn and say "Like I'd get COLDS!", but when it never came, she knew something was wrong. That joke always got him started. She sat beside him.

"Natsu, what's the matter? You can tell me..." She tried to sound as comforting as she could. Natsu just sat, still and cold. The only thing filling the void of silence was the rain and rolling thunder.

Erza was the first the break it, saying, "Do you want me to leave?" For the first time, Natsu responded. However, not with words. He simply moved his head in a shaking motion, side to side.

"Erza..." Natsu choked out, surprising the scarlet-haired woman. "I thought she was the one."

"Did it not go well?" she asked softly. "Who was it?"

Natsu confirmed it with a slow nod. Then he slowly rose his head. When he look up, he turned to meet her soothing eyes. Erza gasped, seeing Natsu's face. It was wet with tears, his normally action-packed eyes were now filled with heartache. Erza had never seen Natsu like this. She never witnessed him cry, and always thought she never would. This came as a shock to her.

"Remember how I said I was gonna tell her today how much I loved her, and I was gonna ask her to be my girlfriend?" Natsu choked out, looking down at his feet. "I prepared the flowers and everything. I went over to her apartment, and found her with Sting."

"Sting? You mean that Sabertooth Guild member? They were kissing?"

"No, it was more than that," Natsu answered, "They were both naked, and Sting was all over her body, and Lucy was loving it. But then she looked at me and seemed to shoo me away with the look she gave me."

Erza sat beside him, shocked at hearing the story. She was hardly aware that her hands were balled into tight fists. "Please excuse me while I go and give Lucy a piece of my mind," she said angrily. _It's so wrong to do Natsu like that, after all he's done for her. I'm gonna make her apologize at once!_

Erza stood up furiously, and turned to walk away. However, before she could take her second step, a hand grasped her wrist. She turned around the see that Natsu had not moved his sitting position, but was holding her wrist.

"Don't worry about it, Erza," Natsu sighed, "Don't hold it against her, please. Besides, you can't win em' all."

Erza was going to argue her point, but simply sighed in defeat. Instead, she said, "Come, I'll have Mira make you some food back at the guild."

"Is there a lot of people there?" Natsu asked uncertainly.

"No, when I left, the only people there were Master Makorav, Mira, Cana, Kinana, Juvia, and Lamy. Pretty much everybody else has left on jobs or are at home."

Reluctantly, Natsu rose up and both headed towards the guild hall.

In a few minutes, both reached the doors of the giant building. Erza entered in, and reluctantly, Natsu followed her inside. The hall seemed to be darker than normal, in fact, the only light source was a bright candle on the wooden counter at the bar, where the ladies were.

"Hey Erza, Natsu," Mira called out kindly, "You two look soaked."

"Yes, well we were caught in the middle of the rainstorm," she said. Natsu stayed silent, his hair shadowing his eyes. This didn't go unnoticed by the women. They always expected Natsu to have something loud and rambunctious to say, but he stayed silent. He sat on one of the stools at the far end of the counter, away from everyone, and slammed his head down onto the wood.

"What the hell..." Cana muttered, but Erza cut in before she could say anything else.

"Leave him be," Erza said, "He's had a tough day."

"Must've been really tough to bring HIS spirits down," Cana responded, before guzzling down another bottle of booze.

"Mira, could you make Natsu a little snack? He hasn't eaten all day," Erza requested.

"Sure," Mira nodded before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Where's Master Makorav?" Erza asked, "He was here when I left."

"He left a little bit ago," Kinana answered, "He said he had important business to attend to."

All eyes rested on Natsu, who didn't notice or care. The place was soon coated in an uncomfortable silence, with occasional loud thunderclaps that echoed throughout the giant interior. In about 5 minutes, Mira had prepared a small steak, which she re-heated because it was frozen. She exited the kitchen and placed the plate beside Natsu's head. Normally, Natsu would've jumped up and devoured the food, but he didn't flinch, as if he didn't at all notice anything.

"Thanks Mira," Natsu's small and muffled voice said, "but I'm not hungry." He was still looking down, but everyone noticed how his voice sounded. It was small, meek, fragile; as if he were trying to hide it from the entire world.

He stood up, keeping his head down, and turned to leave the guild hall.

"Hey, wait!" Laki called, "It's still pouring outside!"

"Natsu..." Juvia muttered. Somehow, she could sense a sorrowful feeling aura from him.

Suddenly, and without warning, a devastating internal pain struck Natsu's head. Natsu let out a scream of pain before collapsing on the ground. His scream startled the girls, who rushed over to him. He lay there on the ground clutching his head, his body shaking violently. His eyes were rolled far back into his head.

"W-what's happening?" Erza demanded with a panicked voice.

Blood was beginning to trickle from his eyes and mouth.

"I don't know," Juvia answered. She tried use some type of water magic to ease his pain, but it helped not one bit.

Natsu rolled over and began slamming his head down into the wood, shattering it, It was clear that the pain was too intense for him to bear.

Mira almost instantly knew what was going on. She sensed demonic energy coming from him. **Some demonic entity is trying to possess him!**

She jumped over the counter and bolted to where everyone was. "Hold him down!" She instructed. Erza rolled him over and pinned his shoulders to the floor, and the rest held down his thrashing arms and legs.

She placed for soft hands on his forehead, tightly shut her eyes for concentration, and began to chant something in foreign language. As she continued, Natsu's screaming died down, until it was no louder than a whimper.

Natsu then sat straight up with a bolt of strength, completely ignoring the strong hands that held him down. Natsu let out a terrible bellow towards the ceiling, an inhuman roar that only a monster could make. Black mist suddenly exploded from his mouth, forming a black menacing cloud above. When he did, an enormous power filled the guild hall. Natsu collapsed backwards, and Juvia caught him so his head wouldn't hit the ground. He was fully and clearly unconscious.

The black cloud above them hovered for a moment, before a distorted and other-worldly sound began to come from it. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor, and Mira transformed into her Satan Soul.

As the sound continued, the black mass morphed into what appeared to be a humanoid shape. The demonic sound continued until the distorted sound formed words.

 **"He..."** It said menacingly, **"** **Be... Ours... Soooooon..."**

"You're not taking him!" Erza responded, "Whatever you are!"

 **"Human..."** It answered to Erza, **"Strong... Very Strooonng... Want Soul... In... Future..."**

"What do you want, demon?" Mira demanded with a fiery voice.

 **"I... Take... Boy... To... Master..."** The entity answered. **"Master wants boy..."**

 _'That doesn't make sense'_ Mira thought, ' _Why would it possess Natsu to take him to its master?'_

The answer, however, came immediately after her thought. **"Master want me to transform boy, so he be demon like her."**

"It wants to make Natsu a demon?" Erza gasped.

"You stay the HELL away from us!" Cana screamed, clutching her cards.

 **"I stay dormant inside boy,"** The demon said, **"He be ours** **soooooon... Human's can't protect boy. He be ours sooooon..."**

The entity lost its shape, and vanished back into Natsu's body, with its fading voice echoing in the air, **"He be ours..."**

Everyone was left wordless. Erza requipped into her normal armor, and Mira's Satan Soul disappeared. Juvia still cradled Natsu, nervously panting. Even though she never cared for Natsu in the past, Juvia felt an instinct to protect the dragonslayer, even though she swore her heart to Gray Fullbuster.

"It's apparent that the demon won't leave until he has fully possessed Natsu," Mira said, "There's no telling when the demon will try to take over his body again."

"We need a way to contact the master," Erza said, "In the meanwhile, take Natsu to the infirmary. He needs rest."

Natsu was rushed to the infirmary, where he lay for the rest if the day. The girls stayed with him, while Erza and Mira explained to Makarov the situation through a communication lacrima.

 **~On another continent~**

"It seems that my servant might have a bit of a delay completing his task," A female voice echoed throughout the throne room of the dark palace. "Natsu Dragneel, you'll be mine soon..."


	2. Chapter 2 Monster?

**Well, I never expected such POSITIVE reviews. Thank you for such appreciation, but I shall accept any and ALL constructive criticism (excluding those who just criticize for fun). Now, on with the story!**

"So, what do we do?" Laxus asked his grandfather. Him, as well as the Thunder Legion were gathered around Natsu's bed. Happy, Erza, Mira, and the other women were in the room also. So far, they were the only people that knew of Natsu's current condition. Laxus was notified as soon as they returned from a mission.

"Do we tell the guild, or keep it between us?" Laxus continued. Even though he never showed, he was genuinely concerned about the afflicted dragonslayer. "Will he even wake up?"

"Is he in some kind of coma?" Cana asked. Natsu had been asleep for 2 days, without showing any signs of waking up, and that concerned a few guild members.

"No," Mira answered, "But the whole situation took too much out of him. That kind of experience would drain more energy than 72 hours of intense, nonstop training. All he needs are a few days more of rest, before he's back on his feet."

"So, what can we do now?" Makarov asked.

"Well, since it's clear that there's a demon inside of Natsu, we'll have to be more careful around him Until this situation has passed, Natsu's normally reckless behavior will have to be calmed down." Mira said, "For one, the guild brawls that he gets into, as entertaining as they may be, will have to be brought down to an ABSOLUTE minimum. Aggression could cause the entity to flare up. We won't be able to watch him all the time, especially while he's on jobs. That's why I've made this."

Mira pulled out a black string necklace, holding a black and white yin-yang pendent.

"It's a special device that I've fashioned. What it does, it that it will detect any rise or spike in demon energy, and will send a shock through Natsu's body. The shock won't feel painful, but it will certainly subdue the spirit." Mira informed.

"Why don't you simply do that thing you did before," Kinana asked, "That thing that you did that expelled it."

"Unfortunately," Mira said, "I can only expel the spirit from his body. It's clear that it's not going to leave, and I don't know how to stop it from reentering his body, or even if it's possible. And I can't fight it in its current mist-like state."

"I think it's best to inform Fairy Tail," Evergreen spoke catching the attention of the whole room. "Everyone should know what their dealing with, and know not to get him started. If a guild mate accidentally stirs the demon within, it would be pretty bad. Not to mention, it could terrify other guild members if they find out the hard way of Natsu's condition."

The room hummed in consideration. What Evergreen said was very valid, and it didn't take long until most in the room agreed. Juvia, however, was more concerned with Natsu, and instead paid more attention to him than the whole conversation. She was shocked to find that she really hadn't thought anything about Gray for 2 days. Was Natsu somehow claiming her heart with even knowing it, or was it just her being worried as a guild mate?

"I agree," Makarov said, "Until Natsu's inner demon is taken care of, the boy will have to change his ways. Not only for his safety, but the safety of the others."

"So, did the demon communicate with you or anything?" Freed inquired.

"It did," Erza answered, "It said that it would not leave until he had claimed his prize, that being Natsu."

"What was the most troubling, was why it said it would do so," Juvia added, "It said something about turning Natsu into a demon, so it could take him to its master. I worry that he might be turn while he's not under our supervision."

"Well, for now, all we can do is trust this device I've made," Mira said, holding it out. "He will be alright. He's a very strong person."

 _Well, there shouldn't be a reason for me not to trust her and that thing she has. Natsu will be ok, I know he will._ Juvia reasoned in her mind. However, it was hard for her to reason with the terrible sinking pit she felt in her stomach.

 **~1 day later~**

Natsu had finally waken up from his slumber. He remembered everything up until the horrible pain in his head. What scared him even more was when he find out about his dilemma. At the same time, the guild was informed. Natsu was at the meeting, and so was Lucy. Natsu couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. He wasn't angry, or depressed, just empty. Whenever Natsu looked at her in the past, he always had this feeling of love. She seemed to have this glowing aura all the time, even whenever she was clearly pissed. She was an angel. Now, her glow was gone. He only saw her now as a normal woman. It wasn't the fact that he stopped loving her, or despised her, he knew that he would never have a chance with her.

She was gone from him.

After the meeting was held, everyone went on about their business. Natsu wanted to talk to Lucy again, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "Might as well take a job," He said to himself. He strolled over to the Request Board, where Max happened to be.

"Yo," Natsu said, as they both stood at the board.

"Sup," Max said, "Just trying to find a job that'll suit me."

"You find any good ones I can tackle," Natsu asked.

"I think you'll like this one," Max said, pulling a paper of the board. "I considered it, but it's way out of my caliber."

Natsu read over it, and was immediately enticed by it. Natsu hadn't had any action for a week. He was eager for a fight. "Hey, wanna take this this one with me?" He offered.

Max, seemingly startled all of a sudden, stepped back with a nervous laugh. "Nah, I don't think you want me! All I'll do is drag you down, make you worry about me!"

"What are you talking about?" Natsu questioned, "You won't drag me down. You're practically as strong as I am. Remember that sparring match we had a bit ago? You kept up."

Max's face paled, and he seemed to be in a slight panic. "Oh wait, I just remember! I got something to do right now! Gotta go!" And with that, Max took off full speed towards the doors.

 _'Whew! That was a close one! Not really trying to be on a job alone with a demon!'_ Max though with a sigh of relief as he opened the guild doors and slipped out.

 _'That was weird.'_ Natsu thought, clearly oblivious to the true nature of Max's flight. _'Guess I'll ask someone else.'_

Natsu scanned around the guild, and saw Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Happy, and Carla sitting at a table, sharing a laugh. _'It's not like talking to Lucy will kill me or anything! We can still be friends. I'll ask her about the job.'_

Taking a deep breath, Natsu forced his feet to move in that direction. It seemed that time slowed as he made his way to the table. Finally, after what felt like a year, Natsu stood over their table.

"Natsu!" Happy cheered happily, flying into his owner's chest. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Natsu!" Wendy said, cheerfully, "How are you feeling!"

"I feel great! Thanks for the concern," Natsu smiled, patting her head. "I also found a job that we can do!"

Lucy picked up the paper and scanned over it, before screaming, "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"Ow," Natsu said, the loud scream assaulting his ears.

"I'm NOT taking any jobs that have ANYTHING to do with giant monsters!" She said.

Erza took the paper and read it. "Doesn't seem too hard to do. I'm sure we can tackle it and be home before dark."

"Plus, look at the reward!" Natsu grinned. Anything number with 5 zeros or more was irresistible. "With that money, you won't have to worry about rent for at LEAST another 8 months!"

"And just imagine how many yummy fishies he could buy with that money!" Happy drooled.

"You'll never change, will you?" Carla playfully frowned at Happy.

"Well," Lucy sighed, "I guess it won't hurt."

 **~2 hours later~**

Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Wendy stood off against the giant monster. It was a 90ft tall Cyclops, holding a spear. It was surprisingly very fast, considering how bulky it was. Usually, Natsu fought to impress Lucy. However, he realized that he was less motivated to fight. Without motivation, fighting seemed to come much harder. His movements were more sloppy and slower, and his attacks were more uncoordinated. That was the reason Natsu had a long bloody scar on his right arm.

Erza was in her Lightning Empress Armor, and Lucy had Loke by her side. Wendy had air swirling around her arms, ready to attack or defend. Natsu was the only one off track. Everyone was fighting fine, but Natsu didn't feel that old exhilaration he always loved. In a way, Natsu didn't feel strong anymore.

The giant beast raised its spear, preparing to unleash another attack. Natsu snapped himself out of his trance. He stared straight up into the giant's single eye. An idea popped in his head. There was a certain spell he had been practicing. _'Looks like I'll get to test-run it.'_

The beast slammed its giant spear down towards the ground. Erza, Lucy and Wendy jumped away to avoid it. Natsu, however, stayed right there. The spear hit the ground, splitting open and creating a large explosion of dust and rock. Natsu bolted up the monster's arm with intense speed. Just as the Cyclops attempted to swat him off, Natsu leapt up into the air towards his face.

 **"Fire Dragon Grip Strike!"** Natsu's hand lit ablaze and blasted fire right into the monster's single eye. The beast let out a ear-piercing shriek. Now blind, it dropped its spear and its arms flailed around. Its arm was coming straight for Natsu. He was getting ready to dodge, when all of a sudden, the piercing headache assaulted him once more. The beast's arm slammed into Natsu, sending him flying.

"Natsu!" Erza called out. Happy and Carla took off to rescue him. Erza took a spear and hurled it towards the monster's head. The spear immediately shot through his head, cutting off the monster's cries.

"Let's go," Erza commanded, taking off after Natsu. Lucy, Loke, and Wendy followed behind. The crashing sound of the Cyclops's body hitting the ground sounded behind them. Up ahead, they heard what sounded like a sickening crunch.

The trees opened out to a clearing in the forest, where Natsu's body lay. Apparently, his body the ground was the crunch sound they heard.

Happy sat by Natsu's head, tears falling from his eyes. "I-I couldn't catch him in time..." Natsu's shoulder was dislocated for the joint.

They all gasped as Natsu's eyes had rolled back in his head, blood trickling from them. Natsu was violently convulsing on the ground, foaming at the mouth. Natsu's groans of pain were reduced to sickening sounds of choking.

"Please, help him..." Happy pleaded hugging Natsu's arm.

All Lucy, Loke, and Wendy was stand and watch helplessly.

Natsu's sounds of pain morphed into a sound more unearthly, some inhumanly sound. A demonic sound.

Demonic energy filled the air, and Erza knew that the demon was attempting to take him over. Wendy crept back in fear. She had never seen Natsu like this, and it was an image she NEVER wanted to see again.

Erza leapt forward, loosened Natsu's scarf, and pulled out the necklace still wrapped around his neck. "Come on, work! Stop the demon from taking him! WORK NOW!"

As if on cue, the pendent glowed a bright magenta color. The magic traced up the black string. Suddenly, Natsu's back ached off the ground, and his body stiffened. After a few seconds that seemed like hours, Natsu's back fell to the ground. His convulsing was gone and his breathing was once again stable. His body relaxed, and the demonic power vanished. Erza immediately took him and cradled him.

Natsu's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself in Erza's arms.

"Uh, why are you holding me?" Natsu asked, clearly having no idea what had just occurred. He sat up, only to realize the pain in his left shoulder.

He then noticed the frightened looks in everyone's faces, except for Erza, who stared down at him with relief. Even Loke had a startled face, seeing as how he'd never witnessed anything like this as long as he existed.

"W-what happened," Natsu questioned confusedly. He tried to stand up, his legs wobbly. When he stood at his full height, everyone's breathed seemed to hitch. "The 'thing' didn't happen again, did it?"

"It did," Erza answered, standing up behind him. "You're really lucky that you have that necklace."

Natsu decided to take care of the throbbing pain in his shoulder. He grabbed his arm, and with a swift but firm movement, shoved it back into place. He let out a hiss of pain, before he could fully function it again. The bleeding scar would have to be bandaged.

Natsu was uncomfortable by the dead silence, so he wanted to quell. "Is the job done? Is the beast dead?"

Erza slowly nodded. Natsu grinned his normal toothy grin, trying to lighten up the mood "Well, it's done then!"

Natsu glanced over at Lucy, to see that Wendy hid behind her. Lucy seemed to have this protective look in her eyes, as if she was standing between a girl and a monster.

Monster.

The word repeated over and over in his head. _'Is that what I really am? Is this thing inside of me, making me a monster?'_

Without saying anything else, Natsu put on a grin as best as he could, and began to stroll towards the way they came from. Using his smell, he was able to track where the dead beast was. Everyone followed behind him, but kept their distance, except for Erza. She seemed to be the only one that wasn't intimidated... for now.

 **~At Fairy Tail~**

Juvia couldn't get the feeling out of her head that something happened to Natsu. For that matter, she couldn't UNDERSTAND why the feeling was so strong. Gray was certainly her beloved, but the dragonslayer, she worried about like crazy. She somehow felt compelled to protect him, even though she didn't like him.

Did she? That was a question that she could no longer answer in her heart.

"Oi," Gray said, standing over her. "Your face is pale."

"Oh, it is?" Juvia asked, feeling her own cheeks. Gray immediately noticed that her cheeks weren't red as roses, the way they usually were whenever he was around her. That's how he knew something was off. He sat down across from her and stared straight into her eyes.

"You ok?" He asked, "You haven't been the same for a few days. What happened to you?"

"N-nothing! I'm completely fine, just need a bit of rest, that's all," she lied.

The guild doors opened, and Team Natsu walked in. It didn't take long for Juvia to see that Natsu looked a mess. Gray stared around the guild, trying to confirm his inference.

Fear.

Gray could see the fear in everybody's faces as Natsu walked past. He took note of the slightest muscle tense of guild mates as Natsu walked past.

"Gray? What is it?" Juvia asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Gray said, clenching his teeth and grinding his teeth. "Can't you sense it? The change in the atmosphere as soon as he walked in?"

"W-what are you trying to say?" Juvia questioned.

"What I'm saying is that everyone doesn't think of Natsu the same way anymore," Gray answered, "The guild's staring to fear HIM. They're already starting to see him a dangerous person."

"W-what? That can't be true!" Juvia exclaimed, "Our guild can't be like that! I thought Fairy Tail was a strong and caring place, filled with strong and caring people! That's why I joined!"

Gray was surely pissed. Sure, Natsu was a hothead and got on a lot of people's nerves, but he DIDN'T deserve this. Natsu didn't deserve to be treated like an OUTSIDER, because of a condition that even HE couldn't control. It wasn't fair! He didn't how Natsu felt, but he always saw him as his best and closest friend. He was NOT going let him be treated like this!

"What's going to happen?" Juvia asked fearfully.

"Give it some time," Gray answered quietly, hiding his rage, "Soon, everybody's gonna see and treat him like an outsider."

 **~On another continent~**

"I can already see it," the voice whispered to herself in the darkness of her castle. "His so called 'friends' are beginning to fear him. My plan is working." She let out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry, Dragneel," she said, "Even if the world ceases to love you, I'll never stop loving you, my love..."


	3. Chapter 3 Encounter

It had been about a week since the incident in the job. Everyone had heard about it, courtesy of a certain blue-furred blabbermouth. Two days after that, Natsu had an episode right in the guild hall. The device that Mira created worked, but not before officially freaking everybody out. Even Makarov was shaken to the core. Since then, Natsu hadn't slept peacefully for a while.

"Hey Natsu!" Gray called over to the dragonslayer. Natsu sat at a table alone. Lucy and Wendy still kept their distance, and Happy mostly hung with Carla and Lily. Erza had left the guild hall earlier.

Natsu's ears perked up at hearing Gray's voice. He stood up tiredly and walked to his rival's table. He was far too tired to hurl insults at him. "What?"

"I gotta talk to you about something," Gray said. Natsu thought he was joking, until he saw the dead seriousness in his eyes. "It's important."

Gray got up, beckoning Natsu to follow him. Natsu did, as Gray led him outside. He led him into an alley about a mile away from the guild.

"So what's this about," Natsu questioned. "If you're trying to challenge me or something, it'll have to wait until this passes over."

"No, that's not it. It's about your condition."

"What about it?" Natsu asked in almost a demanding tone. "It's not like I have control over it."

"No, it's not that either. Have you noticed anything...different with the guild, after what happened a couple days ago?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the guild members. Have you noticed how they all act a certain way whenever you're around? Like they're on edge around you?"

"On edge? I haven't noticed that with anybody. What gives?"

"I know it's not what you want to hear," Gray said, "but everyone's beginning to fear you."

"Fear me? What for? What did I do?" Natsu questioned.

"It's not what you did, it's what INSIDE of you."

"Why do I not believe you?" Natsu growled, folding his arms.

"You're not normal anymore, and the guild is not gonna treat you normal until this thing is gone."

"T-that can't be true!" Natsu exclaimed. "Our guild isn't like that! We wouldn't just abandon a fellow member because of something he can't control!"

"Natsu, I thought so too. How can we claim to be a family when we block out those who need help?" Gray folded his arms, grinding his teeth. "It's sickening!"

"And hard to believe," Natsu retorted.

"What? After that thing tried to take control over you, what did you see in everybody's face? What were their expressions?"

Natsu paused, not knowing what to say. Deep inside, he knew Gray was completely right. What he saw in the faces of most of his guild mates were mixes of resentment, horror, disgust, and fear. Not fear for Natsu, but fear of Natsu. However, there were only a few who were worried for the boy's well-being. Just imagine how much could go wrong with the most destructive person in the guild containing a sinister demon, most probably just as destructive. Still, he didn't want to believe it.

"Let's say you were telling the truth," Natsu said, "Why? I've been here in Fairy Tail for years. Why would they see me as something I'm not? Why all of a sudden think of me as a monster?"

"It's simply the heart of humans," Gray said. He put his arm around Natsu. "I'm telling you this as a friend. I didn't want you to go throughout this situation without knowing what was truly happening. You're my closest friend. I see it as my responsibility to be there for you when you need it."

As soon as Gray stopped speaking, Natsu's head boomed with pain once again. Natsu collapsed to the ground with a scream of pain. This time, it felt much worse. His chest tightened, and his throat felt as if it was being constricted.

He grabbed his throat, gasping desperately for air. The pain in his head pulsated like a living heartbeat. His vision became extremely blurry, almost impossible to see anything, and Gray's cries were muffled noises in his ear.

Terror unlike any other raced through him. The warmth in his body faded, leaving his skin cold. Terror turned to panic. Unlike the other times the demon tried to take control, this was the closest he ever felt to being possessed.

His heart gave violent jerk, as if it hiccupped. Blood exploded from his mouth. The pain in his head spread all over his body. He felt as if his body was going to explode.

Inside his head, a voice echoed.

 **"Give in. You be mine soon. Give up already! It make no difference anyway!"**

"Get out of my head!" Natsu retorted. Natsu smashed his head on the hard ground. "Get out! Get out!"

 **"Why resist? Guild don't love you anymore! Guild fear you, despise you, disgust you!"**

After what seemed like forever, the pendant finally began to glow. It sent the shock through his body. Natsu and Gray both knew something was wrong when Natsu didn't stop convulsing in pain.

 **"Not letting you go this time!"** The entity screamed in his head. **"You be mine this time!"**

The pendant gave another shock. This time it proved effective.

The last thing Natsu heard of the demon before it disappeared was, **"NO! Can't let go this time! You be mine THIS TIME! You be...*"**

The demon's presence had disappeared inside of him. Natsu gasped, grateful that he could breath again. Under him, he could see that plenty of blood had came from his mouth.

"Natsu!" Gray called, picking him up. "I need to get you back! You lost a lot of blood!"

"Oh, no wonder I'm so tired," Natsu said, tiredly. He could hardly keep his eyes open.

"Maybe it'll be quicker I do this," Gray said. He adjusted Natsu so that he was carrying him bridal-style. He put on a burst a speed, sprinting through the streets towards Fairy Tail. Gray bust through the doors.

"Hey! He needs help! NOW!" Gray screamed. Instantly, Erza and Mira raced to his side. "It tried to take control again, and he coughed up too much blood!"

Everyone else stared. Murmurs ran through the crowd.

Natsu screamed again, as the spirit assaulted him once more. More pain flooded his body. He could hardly breathe, hear, or see.

 _'You just tried to possess me TWO minutes ago, and now you're at it again! Leave me ALONE!'_

 **"Not until you be MINE!"**

In pain, Natsu threw himself onto the floor, rolling around in agony. More blood spilled from his mouth as he violently coughed. The device began to glow once more, sending a shock into his body.

Mira gasped in horror, seeing that her device hadn't worked yet. Erza stepped back, fear taking over her senses. Gray grabbed the necklace. "It's not working!"

Gray tried using ice as a way to ease the pain in his head, but to no avail. Juvia ran from the crowd to aid Gray in curing some of the pain. Their magic combined didn't do anything.

The necklace sent another riveting shock through Natsu's body. It did nothing but infuriate the demon. Mira bent down and held Natsu in one arm, and in the other his necklace.

"Why isn't this thing working?"

Suddenly, the pendant exploded. The force knocked back Erza and Mira, and knocked Gray to the ground. Purplish smoke rose from where the necklace once was. Natsu's convulsing finally stopped, and the demonic power was fading back into his mind.

The demon laughed, its fading voice saying, **"Barrier is destroyed. Seal in broken. Nothing stands in way of me possessing you. You mine now. But I wait. Wait until you least expect it. Yes, is more fun. Is more funnnnn..."**

Everyone was frozen in shock and fear. A pool of blood had culminated under him, soaking into his clothes. This time, Natsu was far too weak to even move. He had lost close to two pints of blood in just two minutes. He took the briefest moment to glace over at the crowd of Fairy Tail members. Gray was right. He could see it all plastered onto their faces. Their hateful looks were that last thing Natsu saw, before his consciousness failed him, and he fainted right there on the floor. Mira picked him up slowly, carrying him up to the infirmary.

Gray stood, staring at the crowd as they watched Natsu and Mira leave. He clenched his fists at seeing their faces. He saw expressions of disgust, resentment, etc. However what infuriated him the most was that nobody tried to help him except himself, Mira, and Juvia. They all just stood there watching Natsu suffer, and had the NERVE to give him such hateful looks.

"HEY!" Gray bellowed, catching the attention of the guild. "Go about your business! This isn't a spectacle for you all to watch!"

Immediately, the crowd dispersed. That was outburst was all Gray could muster. Juvia gave him a worried look, before watching as Mira disappeared into the infirmary with Natsu.

Gray whipped around, facing Juvia and Erza.

"We gotta see Porlyusica about this," Gray said, before marching out the doors. Juvia immediately followed behind, and Erza did after a moment.

In about five minutes, they reached her dwelling in the forest. Gray knocked fiercely on the door.

"Hey! Open up!"

In just a few seconds, a very miffed Porlyusica practically pulled the door of its hinges.

"I don't always enjoy people banging on my door!" She said forcefully. Erza and Juvia backed away a considerable amount. Gray stayed in front of the door, unmoved by her fierce tone.

"Look, we need you help! It's a dire situation!"

The old woman simply puffed, before turning back into her house, readying to close the door. "Why in the world should I help you?"

"It's not like that!" Gray said impatiently, "A demon's trying to possess Natsu!"

Porlyusica halted, shock taking over her. "A demon?"

 **~Two hours later - At the infirmary~**

Natsu lay in bed, with a worried Mirajane sitting next to him. She was scared for Natsu. The seal was broken, so the demon could most probably take control of him whenever he wanted. It was difficult to make another one of those things. She didn't even think she could do it a second time.

She sighed. The amount of blood he lost was scary, but she knew he'd be ok. She also noticed how everyone stared at Natsu. She was ashamed of herself, because she was one of the people of feared Natsu. In her mind, there was a mix of fear of him, and fear for him at the same time. However, with him in this incapacitated state, she felt that she could rest easy. She couldn't explain why she was so scared of him. As soon as it began, she was just afraid of him, whenever she was around him. Terror gripped her heart at how her pendant broke so easily.

The demon could decide to take him whenever it chose. Unless Mira stuck to his side all day and night, Natsu was virtually helpless. She heard three sets of steps approaching the room. The door opened, revealing Porlyusica. Her usually cold and annoyed face was contorted into one of worry.

"Is this the patient," she said, looking down at Natsu,

"Yeah," Gray answered, walking in after her, Juvia and Erza following.

She immediately placed a hand on Natsu's forehead, gasping at her findings. "You're right, there is an entity residing in him. To add to that, He's lost an extreme amount of blood. Bring me about a gallon of water."

Juvia grabbed a pitcher from the top of the cupboard, using her magic to fill it up. Porlyusica slipped her hand under Natsu's head, gently lifting him off the bed. She wrapped her around his shoulder, and took the pitcher from Juvia. She took a whisper a small incantation over the water. Briefly, the water glowed. She held it up to Natsu's lips and let some of the liquid flow into his mouth.

"Wait, you shouldn't try to give him anything while he's out of it!" Gray exclaimed. "He could choke!"

"Don't worry," Porlyusica responded, "The incantation I cast makes the water safe to drink in almost any state. Also, the incantation in the water will restore the blood he's lost."

Gray, Erza, and Juvia sighed in relief. Juvia saw how the elderly woman held Natsu, like a mother would her son. It was cute in her eyes, but she never expected she'd see Porlyusica in such a caring state. She guessed it was because she always saw her when she was angry.

"So, how long until he's conscious again?" Mira asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Not long at all," Porlyusica said, "With the water I gave him, he should be able to regain consciousness in about twenty minutes. He'll have some energy, but he will need food to be able to restore most of his strength."

She couldn't understand why, but the thought of Natsu being AWAKE was scaring her this very moment. She didn't want to be there when he did. No, she didn't want to be here RIGHT NOW. She managed to bear her fear for a bit longer. Twenty minutes later, Natsu began to stir. He awoke, to the joy of Juvia and Gray. Erza just smiled, seemingly hiding herself in a corner, away from Natsu. Mira's fear finally took over.

She stood up, hiding as much emotion as possible. "I'm sorry, I just remembered I have something important to do around this time. Take care of Natsu, please," she said before rushing out of the room and away to God knows where. Speaking his very name made her shudder.

As much as she tried to hide it, there was fear in her voice.

Natsu noticed this, anger beginning to grip his heart. _'So this is what it's come to? Only a handful of people care about me in a WHOLE GUILD of people I thought were my friends! Even Happy's scared of me! Thanks a lot, demon!'_

 **"You're welcome,"** Its immediate response came, inwardly startling Natsu. However, Natsu was far too tired to argue with it. Somehow, he felt that it wouldn't attack him right now.

"Erza, go fetch some food for him," the elder woman instructed. Erza nodded, before hurrying out of the room.

Porlyusica noticed that Natsu's hands were balled into tight fists. He was slightly shaking.

"Child," Porlyusica said, "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

Natsu stayed silent for another few seconds, before saying in a dark voice, "Gray, you were right. About everything."

"Natsu," Gray muttered, "I'm sorry, but you had to know the truth."

"The way they all looked at me, it's haunting me. You think that Mira left because she had something important to do? She left to get away from ME!" Natsu growled. "I thought at this place, everyone had my back. Guess I was wrong."

Natsu stood up from the bed, leaving the older woman's arms. "What are you doing? You need more rest!" Porlyusica exclaimed.

"I'm going home," Natsu muttered, making his way to the door. "Do NOT follow me."

"Natsu, wait!" Juvia said, but he was already gone.

Porlyusica crossed her arms and puffed, "The nerve of some people!"

"He just needs some time alone," Gray responded sympathetically. "He's been through a lot in the last two weeks."

Outside, they heard the guild doors creak open and slam shut. A few seconds later, Erza arrived back into the room with food. Immediately, she noticed Natsu was gone. "Where's Natsu?" She asked.

"He stormed out a couple of minutes ago," Gray said. Inwardly, Erza was relieved, until Porlyusica's gaze passed over them.

She look them all dead in the eyes. "Just WHAT has been happening here?"

 **~At Natsu's home~**

Natsu collapsed onto his bed. He was so angry he couldn't do anything but just lay there. There was no one to beat up, nothing to punch, no one to express his feelings to. Tears began to prick at his eyes, and he fought to keep them from falling. After a while, he just gave up and let them escape his eyes. He didn't cry, just tears. He wanted shout, just as loudly as he did the day he wanted to confess to Lucy. However, all of his strength was spent.

It was cloudy outside, and the room was dark. No sunlight came through the window, everything was gloomy.

 _'HEY! Where are you, demon!? I gotta talk to you, so SHOW yourself!'_

 **"Right here,"** it said, showing up in his mind. **"I never expected YOU to be contacting me. Quite ironic."**

 _'Wait a minute, why does it seem like your sentence structure has changed?'_

 **"Wow, didn't think you were smart enough to notice some like that so quickly. However, that explanation can wait. I sense extreme pain of yours. Care to fill me in?"**

 _'Fill you in? Everything that happen so far is YOUR fault! Everyone wouldn't be treating me like this if you hadn't decided to try to possess me!'_

 **"Allow me to say this; I'd rather much be awakened to reality than live the rest of my life in false security."**

 _'What are you talking about?'_ Natsu fiercely demanded.

 **"Do you really believe that I incited the guild's negative feelings towards you? That's something that they've had in their hearts from the very beginning. That fear and hate has been festering in their heart for years."**

Natsu to think. Somehow, he knew this entity was right, just like Gray.

 _'What's the reason for this? Why did you do this to me? You're ruining my life!'_

 **"For THAT very reason,"** Its answer came quickly, **"So you could see the TRUE colors of the ones you call your friends. You may think that everyone one loves and cares for you, but the truth is that only a handful do. Not even that little blue-furred cat or yours. Sure, it's hurting to know that hardly anyone cares about you, but it's even worse to believe that they do for the rest of your life."**

 _'But why? Is there a reason for all of this? Do you want me out of Fairy Tail? Do you want me to turn against them? What do you want?'_

 **"I really have nothing I want from you. My mission is to take control of you, and take you to my mistress."**

 _'Mistress? What do they want with me?'_

 **"I can't understand it myself, but she's madly in love with you. Around two years ago, she was in the same town you were in whilst you were completing a job. She saw you in action, and ever since then, you were always on her mind. She's kept a very close eye on you, and she had determined you are the one for her. So, she sent me for you."**

Natsu froze, not knowing what to say. There was a demon in love with him. He didn't even know how to process that.

 **"She cared enough for you to have me open your eyes to the truth. She saw your guild mates, and she peered straight into their hearts. She knows about every single person in your guild. Only a few are still willing to help you.** **"**

 _'Ok, but why do you only choose certain times to try and possess me? You only ever do it in front of other guild members! Why not try doing it right now?'_

It sighed, before saying, **"Everything I've done so far was to open your eyes to the truth of your so called 'friends.' If they hadn't seen it, you would still be blind. The guild may have been special in the beginning, but it's changed."**

For once, Natsu couldn't leap to Fairy Tail's defense. He had nothing to defend with. The demon was right. That was just it. Suddenly, the demon's presence vanished, leaving Natsu alone with his thoughts.

Exhausted, Natsu rolled over and fell asleep.

 **~Several Hours Later~**

Natsu awoke from a long, dreamless sleep. To his horror, he couldn't move at all. He lay on his back. Drowsily, he opened his eyes. He was only able to move his head. The moonlight shined into his bedroom. He was able to glance at his alarm clock, which read 5:00 am.

He tried wiggling his fingers and toes, but nothing would budge. Natsu's mind immediately flashed back to when Erza describe an experience similar to his. She called it 'Sleep Paralysis'.

The he remembered that she said specifically, Don't open your eyes.

 _'Oops,'_ Natsu thought. Almost immediately, a menacing and sinister power filled the air. Natsu's hearing picked up steps making their way up the stairs. Natsu's was surely frightened now. Someone was in his house, and he couldn't move. The menacing power that he felt was terrifying. The steps grew louder as they approached his door.

Natsu glanced at he door, where a tall, black figure stood. All he could make of them were two red eyes that stared back at him. _'What is that?'_

The figure in question stared at him, before entering the room. Natsu's heart pounded violently, as if trying to escape the confines of his chest. It stood at the foot of his bed. The moonlight revealed only some of the figure's features.

The figure was a tall woman, looking in her twenties. Her red hair was long and wavy. Her eyes shined a bright crimson color, and he could make out a grin on her face. She wore what appeared to be a long, black dress.

Natsu tried talking to her, but he found that nothing came out of his mouth. He couldn't speak. Mostly paralyzed, all he could do was watch in horror. The female said in a deceptively sweet voice, "You're under a spell of Sleep Paralysis. For now, you can't move most of your body. My name is Ravanna."

Sweat poured down Natsu's face as he tried to move. Even his magic was subdued.

The woman came to the side of his bed, giving Natsu a better look at her. Natsu realized she was beautiful. There seemed to be nothing scary about her. She caressed his face gently, and Natsu loved her soft touch.

"Hello, Natsu Dragneel," She said softly, "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to meet you in person."

Natsu's mind flashed back to the conversation he and the demon inside him had several hours ago. The demon described a woman who was madly in love with Natsu. He noticed that the menacing power was the same compared to the demon's power. Natsu put two and two together, determining that this woman before him was a demon, and the one that was in love with him.

"I'm sure you have much you want to say," Ravanna said. She placed two fingers on his lips. She kept them there for a second, before removing them. "I've enabled your ability to speak."

"Are you the one that sent this demon inside me?" Natsu asked, "The one that's been trying to take control of me?"

"Yes," Ravanna said, "And I'm sorry for all the physical pain you've been through. He is my servant, and his name is Abigor."

"So it's true about my guild? You've seen into their hearts?"

Ravanna's expression saddened, "I know what it feels like, believe everyone is there for you, when in fact, they hate being in your presence. Just like I was, everything I and Abigor have done was to expose you to the truth."

"So what does that have to do with me and you?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Well, I want you to come live with me," Ravanna said.

"Wait, what?" Natsu demanded.

"I love you so much, and I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Whoa! I JUST met you! I don't know anything about you?" Natsu then remembered how much it hurt when he went to go confess to Lucy, only to find her with Sting. It still burned, and he knew how much it would burn her if he just up and rejected her.

Instead, Natsu said, "Gee, I dunno about this. Its so sudden, an I'm not sure if I wanna leave my home."

"It's okay, dear," Ravanna said with a heartwarming smile. "Take as much time as you need to think about it. I won't be far." She kissed him on his forehead, before walking to the door. She looked back at him and said, "I don't know, maybe I like you better as a human then as a demon."

She turned and said, "However, tomorrow I want you to go into that guild hall of yours. Take a closer glimpse and see just how horribly your guild mates towards you. I won't have Abigor try to take you. Just go in there like any other normal day. Then you'll see, you'll see why you must leave that wretched place. I swear to you that the days you spend with me will be the happiest of your life."

He realized that he could move his limbs again. He sat up, replaying the events that happened just a few seconds ago. He stared down at his lap for bit. He rose his head to ask one more question, but Ravanna was no where to be seen.

She was gone.


	4. Chapter 4 Not My Fault!

**Christmas is JUST around the corner, and soon, so will be New Years. With that in mind, I'm going to post as many updates as I can between now and December 25th, so consider it a Christmas special, or something like that.**

* * *

Natsu awoke, finding that he could fully move. The morning sunlight shone through the windows and into the room. His mind still reeled from the events of last night. Natsu sat up, stretching. He turned his head, and nearly jumped out of his skin with a yelp.

"Juvia, what are you doing in my room?" Natsu screamed, startled.

Juvia sat in a chair next to his bed, fast asleep.

Natsu noticed that she didn't respond. "Juvia?"

He climbed out of bed and crept up to her. He poked her nose softly, which immediately caused her to jolt from her sleep.

"Huh? Oh, Natsu! Um, I didn't mean to break into your house! I was just trying to see if um... uh..." she said in a hurried voice, "I just w-wanted to see if you were alright after...after you left yesterday."

"Hey, slow down," Natsu said, "It's fine."

Juvia breathed a sigh of relief. "I really didn't mean to intrude, I just wanted you to have a bit of comfort after you left in such a low spirit. It took me a while to locate your home, I arrived a couple of hours ago, and I guess I fell asleep."

Natsu hesitated, before saying, "Thanks. It's good to know at least SOMEONE cares about me. C'mon, if you're hungry, I'll make you something to eat."

"No, no, it's ok! I'm not that hungry..." She said hurriedly. However, the growl her stomach gave proved otherwise.

It took awhile for Natsu to take notice of the bright blush on her face. He paid it no mind, though, simply brushing it off as embarrassment. He led her downstairs and into his kitchen. There was a table, a fridge, some cabinets and drawers, and stove. She noticed that unlike the rest of his house, he kept his bedroom and kitchen the cleanest.

"What would you like? I got ham, eggs, pancakes, sausage, plenty of stuff."

"I think I'll have...ham and eggs," Juvia answered.

"Righty-o," Natsu grinned. He pulled out four eggs and cracked them into a bowl. He added salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and basil, and stirred the contents.

He poured the mixture into a pan, giving that satisfying sizzling sound. While it cooked, he grabbed a large slab of ham from his fridge. Juvia watched how expertly he cooked; he kept such focus in his eyes, and his hands moved speedily. Juvia couldn't help but blush.

In a couple of minutes, he had finished. The result: a masterfully crafted mound of scrambled eggs sitting atop a sizzling piece of ham. She stared at it hungrily, waiting to devour it.

"T-thank you very much," she said.

Natsu sat down opposite of her and pushed the plate over to her. "So why did you come here again?"

Juvia paused. "Well, it's because I didn't want you to be alone. You were feeling down, so I thought a little company might help."

"But why? Did someone tell you to do it?" Natsu questioned. He wanted to see if she had a genuine concern for him.

"I saw how you felt, and well, I know what's it's like; the feeling of rejection by the people you thought were your friends. I didn't have anyone to comfort me, and I didn't want to see the same happen to you." Juvia responded, staring down at her lap.

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows a bit. How could anyone care for him THAT much? He wondered how the woman that was in love with his biggest rival could be so caring towards him, seeing as how she always rooted for Gray in their normal fights.

"The thing is, I really admire you, for your bravery and loyalty to your friends. You're loving and caring, and honest. Even if we don't interact that much, I've still noticed these traits of yours." Juvia said. "This whole thing that's happening isn't your fault at all. A-and I don't think it's fair that everyone treats you like this, especially after everything you've done for us. You defeated Laxus, Hades, Jellal, Cobra, Zero, all for your friends, and they treat you like this. And you even made this breakfast for me. That itself shows how caring you are!"

Natsu tried to get a word in, but was immediately silenced as Juvia continued on, pouring her heart out.

"The way the guild looked at you suffering in agony, it stirred up feelings inside me. I-I couldn't help but feel angry at them. It's just so unfair! So I want to do everything in my power to comfort you until this is over..."

Natsu stared at her, his mouth slightly hanging open. The shock of her speech pressed down on him. He never thought that someone could even look out for him like that. Except for Gray, since the two had a long history.

Juvia looked up at him, seeing that his hair shadowed his eyes. However, she was able to see a tear straying down his face.

With a shaky voice, Natsu said, "T-thank you, Juvia." It was all he could say. He had so much more he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't form. Other emotions flooded him and prevented him from speaking anything else. He heard a bit of shuffling, and he didn't know what Juvia was doing until he felt her arms wrap around his head. He couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and he began to silently weep in her embrace.

 **~One Hour Later ~ Lucy's Apartment~**

Lucy exited her shower, glad that no one had burst into the room. Natsu was the LAST person she wanted to see. Sting would be over in the evening, so she was highly anticipating that. None of the guild members, except for Happy, knew about their relationship. She made sure to threaten Happy so the word wouldn't get out. However, that wasn't the main talk of the guild.

It was Natsu's condition. Whenever Natsu wasn't at the guild hall, they gossiped amongst themselves. She had overheard their talks, and discovered that most were beginning to think of Natsu as an outside. They all said as much.

After seeing firsthand Natsu's possession, she felt afraid of him. Being in his presence, or even SEEING him for that matter, made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

As she stood thinking, she noticed something white sticking out from under her couch. She bent down to pick it up. It was folded neatly, and she unfolded it quickly.

It read: _Dear Lucy, if you got this letter, then you might not be home or I might've dropped it. It's currently the 8th of May. Ever since I met you, you've made life so much more. You're strong, smart, funny, so full of spirit, and I really admire that about you. I love how you're so ready to take on new challenges, and you make me smile every day. You inspire me so much. Whenever you're not around, it hurts like crazy, I feel cold and lonely. Whenever you're around, I just feel so happy and carefree, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I think what I'm trying to say is, I love you Lucy. I was hoping if we could be a couple. I'm not saying you have to, but please just consider it._

 _\- From Natsu._

Lucy gasped, letting the paper drop from her hands. Natsu was in love with her. She didn't even know how to process that at the moment. Feeling a bit dizzy, she sat down. He had seen her with Sting, and now he had some demon residing in him.

For a brief moment, guilt pressed down onto her. He had to deal with the pain of seeing her with someone else, and now she here she was thinking about how much being around Natsu made her fear him, even though he had done nothing wrong.

As quickly as it came, the feeling of guilt was gone. 'As destructive as he already is, him having a demon inside himself would be catastrophic.' She reasoned in her mind. However, instead of completely ignoring it, she kept the note.

If Natsu was at the guild today, she would give him her answer, and be as nice about it as possible.

She dressed herself and left her apartment, taking the note with her. Part of her hoped that Natsu would be at the guild, but most of her hoped he wasn't. She decide to take the long way towards the guild, so she could have more time to practice her words. She knew it would break his heart, so she tried to make her answer as calm and comforting as she could be.

She walked through the markets of Magnolia. The air was filled with smiles and laughter as the people of the city filled the streets. It was a pretty cheerful day for them, but not Lucy. Her heart beat harder and harder. She was beginning to rethink her decision.

She was never so close to turning back as she was right now, when she spotted him. He was sitting on a the edge of a bridge over a river. She was surprised to see that Juvia was with him. Natsu had an expression that Lucy had never seen him with before. It was a sad, lonely expression. It wasn't natural for Natsu to have such a forlorn look.

Forcing her feet to move, she walked up the incline of the bridge towards the two. Juvia noticed her first.

"Lucy," she said with a bit of surprise.

"Lucy?" Natsu's ears perked up as he turned around.

"H-hey Natsu..." she said. "I...um... I-I need to talk you...Privately."

Juvia gave a very slight look of protection over Natsu at her statement. But Natsu took Juvia's hand and said, "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Juvia blushed a bit, before stepping away. Natsu turned back to Lucy and said, "Hey, it's been awhile since we talked to each other." He managed to force a friendly grin on his mouth.

"Y-yeah," Lucy's voice trailed off.

"So, what's the occasion?" He asked.

"Um, it's this..." she answered, pulling out the note. Natsu's grin faded when he opened it.

"How did you get this?" He asked.

"I-it was under the couch," Lucy answered. "I was thinking that you left it there or dropped it there."

Natsu stared down at it. "I guess I know what the answer is now, huh?"

"I-I'm really sorry, Natsu." She had a trembling voice. "I really am. I know..."

"Tell me," Natsu interrupted. He still stared down the paper. "Are you afraid of me, Lucy?"

Lucy froze. "Afraid? W-what are you talking about?"

"After what you've seen happen to me, are you afraid of me, like everyone else?" He didn't speak in an interrogative tone. His own voice shook as he fought to hold back the tears.

Lucy didn't know what to say. She wasn't the type of person to lie, especially to someone like Natsu. On the other hand, she knew how much it would hurt if she told him the truth. She just stayed silent.

"I take that as a yes," Natsu said quietly. He got up, letting his hair fall over his eyes. He walked away, throwing the note into the water.

"W-wait!" Lucy called after him. Pity took over her fear, so she wasn't as afraid to call him back.

Natsu ignored her, leaving the bridge and walking away. Juvia noticed Natsu walking towards her.

He stopped right next to her and said, "She's just like everyone else." Natsu took in a very deep breath, and lifted his head to the sky. "I don't think I should be in a guild like that."

"Natsu?" Juvia asked, "You don't intend on leaving, do you?"

"I don't know," Natsu answered. "The option doesn't seem too bad now."

Without a another word, he began to walk away. Juvia caught up to him, and the two walked side by side in silence towards the guild.

 **~Ravanna's Palace~**

Ravanna sat on her throne, her eyes shut. She was communicating with Abigor by telepathy.

 ** _'I don't think that I will have to attempt to possess him any longer. I can already see that his loyalty is wavering.'_**

'Wonderful! Where is he headed right now?'

 ** _'He is on his way towards the guild, with a woman named Juvia.'_**

'Another woman?' Ravanna immediately did not like her. 'How close are those two?'

 _ **'Up until this morning, not close at all. Now, the two are friends, but I believe that the woman may have a thing for the dragonslayer.'**_

'I see. No matter. Natsu Dragneel will be mine soon, so I don't think that woman is someone we have to worry about.'

 **~Fairy Tail Guild Hall~**

Natsu almost immediately regretted going the guild. As soon as he stepped in, he found eyes staring straight at him. He saw the looks in their eyes. He even saw a few people whose faces showed resentment and disgust. How could they resent him? That was absurd!

Natsu trembled with anger. Juvia noticing this and tried to comfort him. Natsu's dragon ears could pick up the murmurs of the crowd. He heard things being said like, 'Why is he here?' or 'There goes demon boy.'

Natsu looked over and Team Natsu, hoping that they still had the love that they shared. Instead, Erza looked away, Wendy's normally sweet face became contorted with terror at seeing him, and Lucy stared down at her lap. Happy and Carla acted like they hadn't even seen him. For some reason, Gray wasn't at the guild hall.

He couldn't take it anymore, but he reached his limit when he heard someone say, "Someone like him doesn't belong here."

Suddenly, Natsu exploded in rage. He yelled at them. "Stop staring at me! This whole thing ISN'T MY FAULT, SO STOP ACTING LIKE IT IS!"

He turned, and fiercely kicked the door open and stomped out.

"Natsu, wait!" Juvia called after him.

Natsu didn't listen. He kept walking, picking up his pace as his rage grew. He didn't cry. He was too angry to cry. He had never felt so betrayed in his life. As strong as his loyalty was ever since he was introduced to the guild, he felt a new feeling towards them. How could they do this to him, after all he had done for them? They were supposed to be a family, a STRONG family. It made NO sense.

He found himself in a forest, a mile away from Magnolia. He shouted up at the sky, than began to punch the ground. Harder and harder he went, the crater growing wider and wider. His knuckles began to bleed, but that didn't faze him. He punched more and more until his arm grew tired. He stood up, unsatisfied. Punching the ground didn't seem like a proper way to vent his anger.

No sooner had he stood up, a sudden power filled the air. It brought him back to his knees, feeling crushed by it. He stared down at the ground, unable to lift his head.

However, the power vanished, and a sweet voice said, "Hello, Natsu."

* * *

 **Sorry for a short chapter. It seems like my Mom had been doing EVERYTHING in her power to keep me from updating, but I shall prevail. For now, good night...**


	5. Chapter 5 Truth About The Demon

**I apologize for a short chapter. EVERYONE'S been making this hard for me; my mother wants to watch movies every time I work on a chapter; my father always asks favors that he's MORE than capable of handling himself; and my brother's always looking over my shoulder to see what I'm doing, and that's a BIG distraction. However, I shall show them the my might and my undying loyalty to make my followers happy! I'll drink to that!**

* * *

He looked up at Ravanna, a sweet and comforting smile on her face. All was silent for a few moments, he staring up at her in shock. He saw that she still wore her long black dress. After what seemed like forever, a tear finally threatened to escape his eye.

He looked down in shame. "No, I won't cry. I'm not gonna cry!" He dearly wanted to, but his pride prevented him from doing so. He tried as hard as he could, but the tears came close to spilling.

Soft arms suddenly wrapped around him. Ravanna hugged him and said, "Don't be ashamed. Let them flow."

Instead of trying to fight anymore, he did what she said. Hot tears of fury, sadness, betrayal, and loneliness ran down his face. He gritted his teeth at the thought of even stepping foot in Fairy Tail. After what they did to him, never again.

He balled his fist, as hard it could, until it bled. All the while, Ravanna hugged Natsu tightly, softly running her fingers through his hair.

"Why?" Natsu chocked out. "Why?"

"They were not the people who you thought they were," Ravanna answered. "I know this feeling."

Natsu sniffed. "You do?"

"Oh yes. Back in my younger years, I believed my father to be a honest and humble person. That was proven wrong, when my mother discovered him with another woman. He killed her, and sold me off into slavery. I learned how to fight, I escaped, and now, I'm a person free of any old and rotten ties."

Natsu looked up at her with a pitying look. "You went through a lot more than I did."

"I doesn't matter the situation, betrayal can break anyone's heart."

This woman seemed to understanding and wise, like she could answer every single question of his. Natsu was slowly beginning to like this woman even more.

"This is the true heart of your guild. Do you think staying there will be any good for you?" Ravanna asked.

Natsu sighed. "I don't see much of anything good coming of the situation."

Then Ravanna took his hand, and caressed his face. She looked deeply into his eyes. "If you come with me, I promise nothing but joy and happiness. I will never hate you for anything, and I will NEVER treat you like trash. You'll be happy living with me..."

"Why? Why do you want me to come live with you so badly?" He already knew the answer, but he just wanted to hear it one more time.

"It's because I love you, and I don't want you to face all this heartache anymore..." Ravanna answered.

Natsu was unsure about the situation. He didn't really want to go with her and leave everything behind, but he didn't want stay either. However, the images and memories of the hated expressions that stared at him began to replay in his mind. That's what made the ultimate decision.

"I won't ever betray you like any human would, and I-"

"Take me away," Natsu interrupted, "Just take me far away from here. Please."

Ravanna gasped in happiness, and held Natsu closer to her. "Anything for you, my love."

And in a wisp of air, they were gone.

* * *

When Juvia told Gray about what happened at the guild hall, he was enraged. He really wanted to go up there and give them all a piece of his mind. However, Juvia was able to persuade him not to go. Instead, she convinced him that they should go find Natsu, and give him some encouragement. Right now, Natsu needed love and kindness, so they were going to be the one's to do it.

They found it troubling that his house was completely devoid of ANY life. Everything was left untouched.

"Dammit!" Gray exclaimed as he stepped out of the house, "Where could he have gone?"

"Should we check the markets?" Juvia asked.

"No. When he's feeling down or upset, he doesn't hang around a lot of people."

"You don't think he decided to leave, do you?" Juvia asked fearfully.

"Let's pray that he didn't," Gray said, "Let's check somewhere else."

Just as the two were about to leave, a massive rise in demonic power appeared, about 5 miles away. Gray broke into a sprint towards the source, and shouted for Juvia to follow him.

"You felt that too?" Juvia asked as she caught up to him.

"Something's wrong!" Gray said, "That power we felt, something's wrong with it!"

"Could it have to do with Natsu?" Juvia asked. _'Please, be ok, Natsu!'_

"Let's go find out before anything bad happens!" Gray shouted.

The two sped up their sprint, weaving through the trees of the forest. The thought of losing Natsu scared Juvia, made her heart wrench. She didn't know why she was having these sudden feelings, but she didn't care. Somehow, she knew that he was in grave danger. She sure as hell was not going to let anything happen.

In the distance, they could see a clearing. It was Natsu, and some strange woman. _'She must be the source!'_ Gray thought.

Just as they were about to enter the clearing, Natsu and the woman vanished from sight. They had came too late to stop it. Gray blinked his eyes a few times, making sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Natsu!" Gray shouted, reaching the spot where Natsu disappeared from. "NATSU!"

"W-we're too late..." Juvia gasped, falling to her knees, "They took Natsu away from us..."

Gray screamed, and punched the ground. "Dammit!"

Tears threatened to escape Juvia's eyes. She never thought she would be crying for Natsu of all people, but somehow she couldn't help it. She wept, knowing that Natsu was gone. She longed for him to be in her arms, a longing that was usually for Gray.

 _'I think I've fallen in love with Natsu...'_ Juvia said in her mind.

"We have to tell the guild about this!" Gray growled, trying to hold himself together.

A sudden voice called from a distance. It was Gajeel and Pantherlily. The two had left on a quest before Natsu's situation began, and they'd been out of town the whole time, so they had no idea about what had been happening at the guild. The two had just arrived to feel the demonic presence.

"We felt this weird power coming from where you're standing," Gajeel said. "There's a strange smell in the air, and Natsu's scent is gone."

"Someone took him away," Gray growled, "And I have NO idea where!"

Gajeel noticed Juvia on the ground weeping. Somehow, he knew he had missed plenty while he was gone. And he wanted to know what.

"What gives?" Gajeel asked. "My gut's telling me that a lot of stuff went down while we were gone."

Gray told him the entire story, from Natsu's first attack, to the events of that morning. When he was done, Gajeel was furious. Even though Natsu and him argued a lot around the first time he joined Fairy Tail, he felt connected to him in some way. Pantherlily folded his arms and shook his head, while Gajeel balled his fists until they turned pale white.

"Y-you said his smell vanished," Juvia chocked out, "What does that mean?"

"One of two things," Gajeel answered, "He's either not on the continent anymore, or he's dead."

"Dead?" Gray exclaimed. "Hell no!"

"Who took him away, and how did they do it?"

"I dunno," Gray sighed, "We only arrived in time to see a woman holding him, then they both disappeared into thin air."

"Wait, a woman?" Pantherlily asked. "What did she look like?"

"I didn't see much, but she had long dark hair and some black coat or something," Gray said.

Gajeel and Lily looked at each other for a second. "You don't think it's-"

"Possibly," Gajeel said.

"What are you two talking about?" Gray asked.

"While we were on our quest," Gajeel said with dead seriousness, "We uncovered plenty of secrets. For starters, the person that took Natsu wasn't a human, but a demon. That explains the demonic energy we all felt, and the foul smell."

"What could they possibly want with Natsu?" Juvia asked.

"Well, if it's the demon I think it is, then Natsu's in BIG trouble," Gajeel answered. "You ever heard of a Pheolas?"

"What is that?" Gray asked.

"Guess not," Gajeel said, "A Pheolas is a powerful demon, who falls in love with humans, mostly dragon slayers."

"Pheolas Demon..." Gray muttered.

"What'll happen to Natsu...?" Juvia asked.

"Well, Pheolas Demons are very twisted and sadistic in nature, and love seeing others in pain or agony," Lily said, "Most will take the human they've fallen in love with back to their dwelling, and torture them relentlessly. And I'm talking painfully brutal torture that could kill a man within a few hours. They inject their victims with a special serum that keeps the alive during the torture."

Juvia gasped, and Gray growled.

"How do you know all this?" Gray questioned through clenched teeth.

"We stumbled upon a dead man in the forest, and there were these writings on some scrolls he had that depicted everything," Gajeel answered. "He was brutally mutilated, and the blood on him was dry. He held a pen in his hand, and he was layin' next to an open scroll, as if he was killed as he wrote. A foul smell was all over the area and on the man, the same scent I'm smelling from here right now."

"What does it all mean?" Juvia asked.

"The scrolls had pretty much everything there was to know about these demons, so I think that the man was writing so that he could warn everybody. It seems that he had spent a good portion of his life documenting these things. A Pheolas finds and kills him before the word can spread, but somehow forgets to destroy the records. That's my conclusion," Gajeel answered.

"And if that's the case," Lily added, "Natsu's headed for trouble."

Gajeel turned and began to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Gray called after him.

"To the guild hall," Gajeel said, "If Natsu isn't rescued soon, he could be damaged beyond repair."

* * *

Everything smelled so foul here. Natsu had noticed that Ravanna's scent was like this, but he was too emotional to even care. Now, as he stood in the throne room of her giant palace, he couldn't help but slightly wince at the smell. There were strange people inside of the place, and they looked upon Natsu with curious eyes.

Ravanna chuckled. "I apologize for the odor."

"Where exactly are we?" Natsu asked. "Are we still in Fiore?"

"No, my dear," Ravanna answered, "We are on another continent, far away from those who could harm you."

Natsu looked down at the ground, already missing home. Ravanna sensed this, and said, "You'll love it here with me. I'll make sure of it."

Natsu sighed, before his ears picked up a mutter from the crowd. Whoever it was chuckled, and said, "Heh, if he knew what he was in for, he'd want to die right now."

Natsu looked up at them, wondering what that meant. Ravanna shot him a warning glare, that made the person in question silence themselves. Natsu wanted to asked what the man was talking about, but Ravanna spoke before he could.

"Attention!" She called to everyone in the room. "This is Natsu Dragneel, my new lover. You are all to treat him with upmost respect. If I find out that any one of you has tried to harm or seduce him, you will die."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Ravanna, being a tall taller than Natsu, looked down at him and said, "You'll never feel pain again."

Inside her mind, however, she found it difficult trying to calm the inner part of her that wanted to tear Natsu apart.

* * *

 **It. Is. DONE. Happy New Years to everybody!**

 **You can find me elsewhere on , at Terry Jones [VileShadow]**

 **I wish you all a Happy New Year!**


	6. Update

**Hello to all my followers and supporters out there. First off, I want to thank you all for the insane support you all have given me. When I first started out, I didn't think I would EVER have all of this. I always thought I would be some obscure writer that only a few people knew or cared about. It has truly exceeded my expectations, and for that, I thank you.**

 **Now to the most important part. This was a VERY hard decision to make, and I've been debating this furiously.**

 **That's it, lads. It's over. All over. After all my hard work. After all my effort.**

 **As much as it breaks my heart, I must end all of my stories. Basically, I can't upload anymore chapters to these stories, and I have to leave them all uncompleted.**

 **I can already see it; my legacy I that built up crashing to the ground and crumbling away; the reviews and comments begging "WHY?".**

 **Believe me, I DID NOT want it to end like this. I imagined myself going out with a incredible blaze of glory, but not like this. I'm so disappointed, mostly for you guys; you all have been pushing me farther, and expecting the best out of me, and now I have to leave you all like this. I'm sad and frustrated, SO frustrated.**

 **Now, you all may be wondering why this all happened, and all I'll say is that a major life change was the cause. I am TRULY sorry that this actually had to happen, but it couldn't be helped. I desperately want to keep updating and uploading, and making you people happy, but it now has to end.**

 **The good news is that, I have an account on quotev.**

 **For those of you that don't know what that is, it's another pretty popular website, much like this one, where you can read and write fan fictions and stuff. The good thing with this website is that you don't only have to publish fan fictions; you can upload pretty much any type of story you want. And yes, you can even make your own quizzes for others to take. I recommend you to the website, and take some time to immerse yourselves within.**

 **I have a story published there, called Wicked Shadows. I am very sure you all will enjoy it, so go check it out. My profile is Terry Jones [VileShadow].**

 **Once again, I am SO sorry that this all had to happen. However, I will leave this account up. Maybe one day in the future, I'll be able to return and finish what I started. But for now, it is done. This is that last update I will post.**

 **I wish you all a good day and a happy life. :(**


	7. I'm Back

**I'm BACK! EXPECT SOME NEW UPDATES SOON**


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